Sanders Sides One Shots
by TaliaScriptor2040
Summary: One shots of the Sanders Sides. Prinxiety and Logicality focus. Constructive criticism welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everybody! Trying my hand at the Sanders Sides fics! Enjoy. **

**Trigger Warning: Homophobia and Wild Karens**

Malls were stupid, Roman thought as he made his way through one of the sets of double doors at the front entrance. Why they hadn't gone extinct during the dawn of online shopping, he didn't know. Signs were posted in the center of the aisle before a gleaming sports car... which was there for some reason. Logan and Patton followed behind him, smiling and holding hands as Patton ogled at the car. They had come along for the ride, but Roman was beginning to regret it. He'd felt like such a third wheel around them lately. He felt bad after, but while he was with them, he couldn't stand how little attention he got. Logan had been his best friend since they had been toddlers, and Roman still couldn't believe the nerd had landed a date before him. He put those thoughts behind him. He was on a mission.

The central plaza in the mall was crowded. Women sat at the seating arrangements and on the edge of the fountain in the center. Kids ran around, going in and out of the candy shop, tossing coins into the shallow pool of water, holding their parents' hands as they skipped out of Clair's with tear-stained cheeks and newly pierced ears. A group of teenagers leaned together in the far corner, apparently going over their purchases. Their group of three made their way slowly through the crowds and toward the escalator that led up to the second floor. Once there, he took a deep breath, tapping his fingers against the metallic railing as they ascended.

"Roman, take a figurative chill pill. Why are you so fidgety today?"

Roman glanced down at the two boys below him on the steps. "I just hate malls. They're full of idiots."

"What? Malls are great!" Patton grinned up at him. "They've got food and games and all sorts of fun activities to do! Plus, there's always window shopping!"

Roman laughed. "If I wanted to browse for items I'll never need, I'll go to Amazon where I can filter the results and find exactly what I want on the first try. Besides, I'm pretty sure those exact phrases you just mentioned could also be used to describe Chuck E. Cheese."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Attempt at a snide comment aside, I have to agree with Roman on this one. Why are we here?" Roman and Patton spoke together, Roman's voice annoyed and frustrated while Patton's was excited and sweet.

"Because That new Disney Pop is a "Hot Topic Exclusive," whatever THAT means, and the villains on Amazon bumped the price up FORTY DOLLARS!"

"Because I love spending time with my favorite boys!"

Roman and Logan stared at him before Logan rolled his eyes, tossing an arm around the boy with a loving smirk as the escalator evened out and the three of them stepped off. It was less crowded upstairs, most of the shops being on the first floor, but it wrapped around the perimeter, stores shoved together the whole way around. Directly in front of them was an expensive perfume shop, followed by one of the ancient ones. A rarity now, a fossil, a relic of the before times: A Game Stop. Man, he hated malls.

The Hot Topic was to their left, the front windows pilled with merchandise, which included several Pops. Roman examined them for a minute before concluding that the one he was searching for was not there. He glanced up at the sign, the emo color scheme beginning to get to him. Maybe this was a mistake...no. He had to do this. So what if the three of them stuck out? Roman had a mission. He walked in with Patton gleefully examining what appeared to be a stuffed Five Nights at Freddy's wolf plushy. Roman decided he wouldn't tell him what it was from. The boy at the front counter nodded in greeting, not taking his oversized headphones off. Roman gave him a tight smile before turning back to the black shelves that lined the walls.

The overall atmosphere was so... dreary. He couldn't imagine working here all the time. It would get so depressing. Oh well. He glanced back at the front counter boy. To each his own. At the sound of Patton's squeal, both Roman and the boy looked over. Patton had found the Pops and was eagerly showing Roman what looked like one of the Penguins from Mary Poppins. Logan stood behind him with an expression that told Roman he'd better act excited.

"Woah! That's awesome, Pat. You gonna get it?"

"I don't know. He is a cutie, though."

Roman made his way over, scouring the white boxes for the one he was looking for. Finally, he found it, carefully pulling the Diamond Collection Rafiki figure out to make sure that none of the other boxes came with it. Turning toward the cash register, he saw the boy staring at them worriedly. Whoops. Maybe he should have asked for help. Oh well. Nothing had happened. The boy seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he shrugged and turned to man the machine. Roman approached, setting the box down onto the counter, and looking at the boy's name-tag. Virgil Sanders. Nice name.

"Will That Be It today, Sir?"

Roman jumped slightly. Virgil Sanders' voice was a lot deeper than he thought it would be. "Uh... I don't know, actually. Hey guys! Are you getting anything?"

"We'll buy it ourselves, Roman." Logan waved him off, staring fondly at Patton as he examined the Dorothy figure, cooing over the tiny Toto in her basket. Roman shook his head, turning back to face the boy. "That's it."

Virgil Sanders nodded, scanning the box and placing it in a thin plastic bag. Behind him, an irritated looking woman dragged her daughter into the store. The little girl couldn't have been more than eight or so years old and stood out in the store just as much as Roman and his friends did. The woman wore department store clothes and large, tacky looking jewelry. Roman silently wondered if Virgil was the only actual emo that visited this shop. The little girl ran over to the Pops with an excited look on her face, bumping into shelves as she went. Roman saw Virgil look up, anxiously watching the girl.

"U-uh... ma'am? Please watch the merchandise." The woman shot him a dirty look as she turned back to her daughter. Roman blinked, shocked at how rude the woman had been to an employee doing his job. A bad feeling settled in his stomach as the little girl fixed her attention on Patton, who was looking at a third figure he'd acquired; a diamond addition Lady from Lady and the Tramp. He and Logan made their way to the front counter, setting the boxes down for Virgil to scan. The wolf plushy had been brought over as well. Oh boy. Virgil finished up his transaction before turning to Logan and Patton, who were arguing over who would pay. Affection. Gross. Patton won out by slamming several dollar bills onto the counter with a "keep the change." Virgil blinked at him before shrugging and taking the money. He wasn't about to argue with a twelve-dollar tip.

Logan turned around when he felt a hard tap on his shoulder. The woman was back. Joy. "Excuse me," She said in an almost sickly-sweet way. "But I was wondering if you could give my little girl the dog toy. She really wants it and we can't seem to find it on the shelves. The four of them looked around the woman and back towards where the little girl was still looking, unloading box after box onto the floor. Virgil seemed to go paler under his white foundation.

"Uh-ma'am- that's a Diamond Addition Funk-"

"I don't care what it is," she interrupted with a glare. "And I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to this man and his..." she stared at Patton, who stared back at her, protectively moving in front of Logan. "Girlfriend."

Roman flushed angrily, clenching his teeth together as he scooped all of Patton's things into his own bag, which was big enough to hold all of them. Patton, however, held up a hand as though in class and offered the woman a timid smile. "Actually, ma'am, I'm Logan here's boyfriend. I'm a boy."

The woman seemed to draw back, disgusted. "Then you don't deserve the toy anyway. How dare you expose children to that! You were near my daughter!"

"She came up to me," Patton mumbled, looking down the black floor beneath them. Logan placed a hand on his shoulder, glaring at the woman. Roman had had enough.

"Okay, that's it. No. You won't be getting the Hot Topic Exclusive Diamond Collection Lady Pop," he said, using the elongated name to point out how special it sounded. He wanted this lady to understand what she was losing. "We bought it. We're leaving with it. End of story." He turned to Logan and Patton. "I'll get the receipt. You guys go."

Logan nodded, leading a hurt looking Patton out the door. Beside him, Roman could hear the woman going off on poor Virgil. "Are you just going to let them treat me like that?!"

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but they did buy it."

"I'm a customer! The customer is always right!"

"They were customers too."

"Well, I don't care! Go get another dog toy from the back, then!"

"I was trying to tell you before, ma'am. That Funko Pop is part of the Diamond Collection. They're a lot rarer than regular Pops."

"What did I just say? Are you actually this stupid? Go and get another one from the back!"

"Ma'am, I-"

"I could have your job for this, you know! I'll tell your manager how lazy and unhelpful you were! Then you'll be fired!"

"Ma'am-"

"Don't 'ma'am' me! Fix the problem!"

Virgil's breathing became more rapid as the crazy lady yelled at him. He appeared to be clutching the counter as he stared at her with wide eyes. Finally, she seemed to get tired of him.

"You know what? Where is your manager? I want to speak to him right now!"

"I- She- She's not."

Then Roman did something crazy. "I'm the manager." Both Virgil and the crazy lady stared at him. Acting lessons had better not fail him now. He stuck his foot out, crossed his arms tightly over his chest, and gave the woman a hard stare as if to say "how dare she question that statement."

"I'm the manager and I was here for the whole thing. I don't like the way you were abusing my employees and customers. I'll have to ask you to leave."

The woman looked furious and for a moment Roman wondered what the hell he would do if she called his bluff, but she stormed off, yanking her daughter towards the exit as the little girl wailed for the toys. "Fine! I don't want to shop at someplace with GAYS anyway. You people are SICK." With one last flip of her hair, she was gone. For a moment, there was silence in the store before Roman heard a muffled snicker come from behind him. Roman turned to see Virgil hiding a smile behind his sweater paws made by his oversized hoodie, his face red.

"That was awesome," he grinned at Roman. "I can't say jack to them without being fired."

"Happy to help." Roman returned the smile, his eyes roaming over Virgil's face as he laughed. Front desk boy was cute. Roman made his way over to where the little girl had made a mess of the boxes and began re-shelving them.

"Oh! I-Uh-I can do that, sir! You don't have to."

"I want to, though. It looks like you're alone in here."

"Well...Thank you!"

Roman flashed him a grin, which grew wider when Virgil's blush returned. They stacked up the boxes again until the shelves and floor all looked neat and orderly.

"Thank you again so much for your help. I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem. I'll never understand why people act like that. I will ask a favor in return, though."

Virgil seemed to shrink in on himself, his eyes darting to the floor. "I can't give you anything for free if-"

"No, no!" Roman laughed. "I just meant your number."

Virgil flushes scarlet, his eyes growing wide. He turned to the register and finished printing Patton and Logan's receipt before scribbling a series of numbers onto a free space on the paper. "H-here. Have a nice day, uh-"

"Roman."

Virgil smiled. "Roman. I like that name."

"Thanks! I got it for my birthday."

Virgil blinked before a snort of laughter forced its way out of his mouth. He almost looked angry for laughing so hard at Roman's dumb joke. "Oh my God, Dude! Shut up!"

Roman chuckled. "Sure thing, Virgil. I'll text you later." Roman walked out the door, unable to see the scarlet blush that had spread of Virgil's cheeks at Roman's mention of his name.


	2. I Think Your Dog Likes Me- Prinxiety

**Hey everybody! Thanks so much to everyone who left reviews! I really appreciate it. I have a few ideas for future one shots, but currently I have *weak fanfare* WRITERS BLOCK! Woo Hoo! So, if you have any recommendations for future stories, I would love to hear them and potentially write them for you guys, as you really seemed to like the last one shot. I'll do anything but smut (not good at writing it) and Roman/Remus shipping, and will of course credit the idea as yours (except for the parts that belong to Thomas, Joan, and their team lol). I got this idea from a propt on the internet (it looks like your dog likes me more than your partner). This is part 1. If you guys like it, I will write a part 2. Once again, constructive criticism is more than welcome (I know it's too long lol).**

**Trigger Warnings: Mentions of abuse**

Roman walked up the stairs to his apartment, pulling his keys out of his pocket as he went. He fiddled with the keys on the ring as he approached the door, not paying attention before promptly falling headlong into the ratty carpet covering the hallway.

"Oof," Roman coughed, hacking at the carpet bits in his mouth. He glanced down at his hands, which stung and bore the pattern of the carpet fibers in red lines before looking back at what he had tripped over. Sitting in the middle of the hallway were large stacks of cardboard moving boxes. One had tipped over beside his feet, spilling its contents around him. The door beside his opened, revealing the form of a short, slight boy with a shock of violet hair. Behind him, a large Border Collie attempted to escape from the apartment building.

"Oh my God, are you okay? I am so sorry! I was just trying to move my stuff in, and-"

"It's fine," Roman said, standing up and picking up the box he had tripped over. The boy quickly moved forward and began picking up the contents that had fallen out, which included several long sleeve shirts and ripped skinny jeans. The dog followed behind him, happily trotting up to Roman and licking his face.

Virgil blinked in shock. "Oh. Uh, that's odd. Ollie doesn't usually like people."

Roman smiled, petting the dog's head. "Aw! He seems like such a good boy, though! He likes me."

The boy smiled back, running his own fingers through the fur on Ollie's back. "He's really good to me. He's… uh…" he blushed, looking down at the floor. "He's my therapy dog."

Roman shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that; my brother has one at home."

Virgil glanced up, his dark eyes widening. "Oh! Uh… anyway. He doesn't really like other people. He always barks and acts weird around my boyfriend."

"Nah, he's a good boy, aren't you Ollie?" Ollie didn't respond, only closing his eyes in contentment as Roman continued to rub his head. He held out his hand. "I'm Roman, I live one door over." He gestured to the door he'd been attempting to get to before tripping over the clothes box.

"Virgil." The boy shook his hand, smiling. "My boyfriend just bought this place. He's letting me live here as long as I pull my weight."

"Looking forward to being neighbors. Where do you work?"

Virgil rolled his eyes. "I work in the IT department at the University. It sucks. What about you?"

"Starbucks Barista. I can make Butterbeer. Envy me."

Virgil laughed, covering up his mouth as he did so, stifling the sound. Roman stared at the boy as he fought to pull himself together. He couldn't help it. The boy was cute. He purple hair stuck out against his pale skin and dark clothing. His eyes were a cocoa brown behind the white foundation as the black eyeshadow he had smeared underneath. The black jacket he wore was too large for him, creating sweater paws over his hands. He has a boyfriend, Roman silently chided himself. He's not interested.

"Thanks for helping," Virgil said. "And I'm sorry again for making you trip."

"I'm glad you did. One hell of a way to make my entrance, huh?"

"You seem like the type to over dramatize your introductions," Virgil rolled his eyes.

"Well, it got your attention, didn't it?"

Virgil laughed, standing up and moving to take Ollie by his collar. "It sure did, Pretty Boy. Do us all a favor and try not to trip over any more boxes."

"Hey, your box, your problem. Now you have to deal with me."

Virgil gave an overdramatic groan, surprising a smile. "I suppose it isn't the WORST punishment I've ever been given. STILL..."

"I know, I know. I'm a handful. I'll let you and Ollie get back to packing."

"Maybe..." Virgil suddenly looked uncertain. "Maybe don't go too far. I mean... I'm kind of new here and... It would be nice to have a friend?"

Roman grinned at him, trying to ease his concerns. "Sure thing, JoJo McDodd."

Virgil gave him a confused look. "What? Who the hell is JoJo Mc-"

Roman gasped. "Don't tell me you've never seen Horton Hears a Who! That's almost as bad as never having seen Disney."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "I'm not much for watching kids films, Caesar."

"Oh, we are having a movie marathon soon. Don't worry, Virgil. I shall protect you from yourself."

"Just try it, Pretty Boy. I will self destruct and you can't stop me." With a final smirk at his new neighbor, Virgil led Ollie into the apartment and shut the door behind him.

POV change brought to you by Heckin Minecrafts.

Virgil picked up the heavy copper pot filled with spaghetti noodles and boiling water, doing his best to pour it into the collider in the sink without splashing any on himself. The sauce was heating up on the stove, the meatballs were in the oven, and all he had to do was toast and butter the bread.

He really had been lucky that Lyall had been moving into an apartment after he came out to his parents. He'd known they wouldn't take his sexuality well; had been expecting them to blow up, especially considering what a huge disappointment he had already been to them, but he hadn't expected them to throw him out entirely. He'd just been sick and tired of hiding his pictures of Lyall, keeping his social media's a secret so he could be himself, pretend to agree with each horrible statement they said about people like him, pretend he and Lyall were only friends, and generally stay in the closet. After they threw him out, only allowing him to fill a bag with necessities, he had run to Lyall, begging for a place to stay. His wonderful boyfriend was in the process of getting his own place and promised Virgil that he could stay there as long as he paid half the rent and listened to his rules. It honestly wasn't that bad of a deal. Much better than the shelter he'd had to stay in while Lyall bought the place. Besides, there were only so many places he could take Ollie.

He picked up the colander, turning back to pour the noodles into the sauce as he gave a small smile to the Border Collie sleeping on the couch. Poor Ollie had been through everything with him. Staying through thick and thin to keep him calm. He wasn't sure what he would do without him. As he folded the noodles into the tomato sauce, he thought back to their new neighbor. Roman. Ollie didn't seem to have a problem with him at all, which was odd. Ollie had never liked his parents, or Lyall, or anyone at the shelters. Just him and Roman. Maybe he'd bring it up to Lyall after dinner. By the time his boyfriend got home, he had the whole meal staying warm on the stove as he lay across Ollie sleepily, running his fingers through the fog's soft fur.

"I hope you weren't doing that while you were making dinner," Lyall said, staring in distaste at Ollie and then to the spaghetti. Ollie looked up, growling quietly at Lyall. Virgil sat up, yawning.

"Course not. He was asleep when I made dinner."

"I don't want my dinner filled with dog hair, Virge."

"I know, babe. Neither do I. Ollie wasn't anywhere near me, I promise."

Lyall hummed, spooning noodles and meatballs onto one of the ceramic plates Virgil had set out. "I'm going to have to figure out a way to ensure you're telling the truth when you say things like that."

Virgil laughed, moving behind him to grab the second plate. "Ly, you know you can trust me. Besides, you can ensure it when your dinner is dog hair free."

Lyall hummed, throwing an arm across Virgil's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. Virgil giggled, an arm wrapped around Lyall's waist as he dished noodles onto their plates.

POV change brought my inability to write

The next time Roman saw Virgil, it was late at night the following week. He made his way up the stairs to his apartment, watching where he was walking in case of other surprises, as he heard shouts echoing from the apartment next to him followed by several loud barks from their dog. He pulled his keys out, trying to mind his own business. Whatever Virgil and his boyfriend were arguing about didn't concern him. He opened his door as he heard a loud yipe from the dog. He froze, staring at the door of the apartment as it was thrown open, allowing Ollie to run out, making a beeline for Roman. He knelt, rubbing the dog's head. "Hey! Hey, boy. Are you okay?" He rubbed Ollie's ears as Virgil stumbled out of the apartment, the door slamming behind him. Ollie quickly trotted over to him, rubbing against his legs. Virgil bent down, petting his head as he sniffled, crying softly

Roman walked over carefully, leaving his door open as he made his way over to the smaller boy. "Virgil? Are you okay?"

Virgil jumped, looking up at Roman as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "O-oh! I-I'm sorry, Roman. I-I don't-"

"It's okay," Roman said, kneeling beside him. "Can I touch you?" Virgil hesitated for a second before nodding, pulling Ollie further onto his lap. Roman scooted forward, placing a hand on his back. "What happened in there, man?"

Virgil took a shuddering breath. "I… I don't know. He's been in a bad mood all day, and he just… I don't know snapped, I guess. I- He's never hurt Ollie before."

"He doesn't sound very nice," Roman said, grimacing down at him. Virgil looked up, tears still slipping from his eyes.

"N-No! No, he's nice! He gave me a place to stay after my parents kicked me out, he let me keep Ollie even though he hates dogs, he helps me get my meds, he keeps me in line. I need him." Roman took a deep breath staring from Virgil's door to his own, which was still hanging open.

"Why don't you and Ollie stay at my place for the night?"

Virgil's eyes widened as he looked up at Roman. "You… you'd really let me? And Ollie?"

"Sure," Roman smiled. "It doesn't look like you've got a place tonight. Besides, I think I said we should have a movie marathon. We're watching all the kids films." With an unsure glance back at his own apartment, Virgil nodded, moving Ollie off his lap to stand up. Sheepishly, he followed behind Roman waiting silently as he turned on all the lights and tossed the keys onto the rickety kitchen table. "Make yourself at home."

Virgil nodded slowly, sitting down on the edge of the couch. Ollie trotted up beside him at sat down at his feet. Virgil smiled down at him, scratching behind his ears. Roman sunk down into the lumpy couch with a groan. "We don't have to stay up, you know," Virgil said quietly.

"No way are you getting out of this," Roman smiled. "I'm getting popcorn and blankets and I will show you how much you look like JoJo McDodd."

Virgil hesitated for a moment before quietly asking, "Can… can we watch The Black Cauldron?"

Roman laughed. "I thought you didn't watch kids films."

"My sitter put that on when I was little. I haven't seen it in years," he said a little defensively. Roman rolled his eyes as he stood up to get the popcorn and blankets with a sarcastic, "FINE." He pulled a packet of kernels from the cupboard and placed them in the microwave before going to his bedroom to grab all the blankets from the bed. Virgil gave him a small smile before moving to help him, pulling out the steaming popcorn back and tipping it over two paper bowls. Turning off the lights, the two boys huddled together on the couch as Roman's movie collection played in front of them.

Virgil gave an annoyed grunt at JoJo's entrance, glaring up at Roman. "That is not me."

"Oh can it, Jack Skellington. Own it."

The Black Cauldron had never been one of his favorites, although Remus had occasionally requested it, but as the intro began to play, Virgil's eyes seemed to light up. Roman smiled as Virgil shuffled slightly in his seat, sitting forward as he grew more excited. Halfway through, however, he has sunk back against the cushions with his eyes fluttering tiredly. Roman rolled his eyes, turning the volume down as Virgil slowly fell asleep beside him. When his head finally slipped onto his shoulder, Roman shut the television off, turning to his neighbor as he began to wonder how he would do this. Sighing softly, he slowly got up and lowered Virgil down onto the cushions. He gathered their popcorn bowls and threw them into the trash, picked up the remote and took the extra blankets back to his bed. By the time he got back, Virgil was snoring softly, his arms wrapped tightly around him as he gave a small shiver. Curled up as he was, he appeared even smaller than before, his mouth hanging open slightly as his eyelids fluttered. He wondered how anyone could just kick him out like that.

Bending down slightly, he slowly and gently picked the boy up and began moving towards his bedroom. Ollie sleepily lifted his head from where he'd been laying only minutes before to follow them into the bedroom, his eyes trained on Virgil's sleeping form. Roman put him down before pulling the extra blankets over him before moving to the couch himself.


	3. Don't You Dare- Logicality

**You guys have been asking for an update and I wanted to give you one. I hope you like it. I'd like to apologize for the inconsistent update schedule. School sucks is all I can say. **

**MadCrazyChloe, I promise your prompt will be next. Scout's honor. It is in the workings, and about half done. I rewrote it several times because I wasn't happy with it. I think it's better now, so it should be out soon. This is another prompt I got from the internet. Constructive criticism is welcome, especially in the section where Joan makes an appearance. If it uses male pronouns anywhere, please let me know. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the prompt or the characters. Thomas owns the sides, and Joan is based on the real-life Joan. **

Logan's day sucked. Figuratively, of course, but considering how much the day had drained him of all excitement, joy, and a will to live, perhaps literally as well. He woke up to the realization that he had failed to set his alarm clock last night. He had spent a rather late night on a date with Patton, forgetting the rest of the world for the first time in a long time. When he got home, he set his alarm and crashed down onto the bed. At least, he thought he had set his alarm. When he turned his phone on the next morning he was greeted to the number six typed into the calculator function. Adrenaline pumped through his limbs as anxiety took over his body. He sprung into action, jumping from the bed and running to the dresser, ripping the clothing off his body as he went.

Huh. He was in pajamas. He distinctly remembered falling asleep just after coming home, which would mean he would have still been in his clothes... his eyes fell on the second figure in the bed, dirty blonde curls sticking out from the mass of blankets overtop him. Logan's face relaxed into a soft smile, realizing what Patton must have done. He walked quickly back over to the bed and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's head. "I'll see you soon, love," he whispered as Patton continued snoring, oblivious to the world.

He made his way back over to the dresser, removing the rest of his clothing as he sorted through the outfits for something work appropriate. Once he had redressed, he dashed downstairs and grabbed his keys. One glance at the clock told him he'd have no time for breakfast. It would take him forty-five minutes to drive to the space center and he had thirty minutes until the start of his shift. Of course, road safety laws were there for the betterment of society, but perhaps today... no. He would not put the safety of others in jeopardy due to his own negligence. Still, as he pulled the car out of the drive and through the suburban neighborhood, he couldn't help but notice he was going a bit faster than usual.

At the front office, the secretary who ran the front desk (he thought her name was Janet. He had never liked her much) frowned at him. "Mr. Sanders. Glad you could make it today."

He fought the urge to tell her the feeling wasn't mutual and simply made his way to the elevators. Usually, the trips up and down the elevators, when he was alone, were rare moments he could breathe for a moment. Now, however, anxiety and unease were gripping his chest and making it hard to breathe normally. As the elevators open, he could see Joan * look up from Logan's usual spot with an annoyed look on their face. Logan hurried forward through the rows of chairs, trying to ignore how much people were staring.

"My apologies for being late, Joan. I can understand how that must have been annoying."

"Yeah, the point of having a day and night shift is to always have people manning their stations," Joan said, frustrated. "Whatever, man. I'm going home and going to bed."

"You deserve it," Logan nodded. "I truly appreciate you helping me."

Joan simply shrugged, gathering their things and making their way to the door. "Just don't make it a habit and we'll still be friends. See you around."

Logan stepped back to allow Joan to leave. "Yes. Definitely. Thank you."

Joan waved him off, making their way sleepily to the coffee machine, pouring themselves a good amount into one of the disposable cups before making their way out the door.

Logan groaned, sinking down into his chair. Not ten seconds later, another figure was standing over him. Ugh. He was beginning to understand what Virgil meant when he complained about human contact. Logan had never been an introvert, but all these people were suddenly becoming too much.

"Care to tell me why you were half an hour late?" His superior leaned over him, much too close for Logan's comfort.

"A mixture of my own stupidity and bad traffic coming down. I'm sorry, Sir. I can assure you that it will not happen again." Patton would be disappointed, but oh well. If this was the result, he didn't want to make it a habit.

"See that you don't. Take a shorter lunch break. I want you making up for lost time."

Logan sighed. Considering he didn't have a lunch, that wouldn't be a problem. "Yes, sir."

"Do you have your report for me?"

Logan's blood ran cold. Shit. Shitshitshitshit. "Um, no. No, sir. Uh-"

"Where the hell is it?"

"Currently in my laptop bag at home." Logan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache began to come on. Is this what Virgil felt like constantly?

"Jesus Christ." His superior scowled at him. "I'm writing you up today. First thing on my desk tomorrow morning, or else. Capisce?"

"Capisco, Sir."

"What?"

"I understand, Sir."

The man stood there for a moment as though trying to determine if Logan was messing with him before storming off to do his own work. Logan sighed, sighing into the computer Joan had left on for him and logged in with shaking hands.

The shaking didn't stop throughout the day, getting worse as his blood sugar slowly dropped from the lack of food. By the end of the day, he was typing and retyping instructions and equations into the keyboard, rereading all of his work at least three times more than he usually did before submitting as his typing ability had disappeared with his steady hands.

Needless to say, by the time he could go home, his eyes ached, his head was filled with sharp pains, his stomach was loudly growling, his hands were shaking, and he was wishing technology had progressed to the point where he could simply teleport home to Patton.

Patton and Logan were living together. Patton smiled softly to himself as the thought once again hit him. He was living with Logan. His amazingly sweet and wonderful boyfriend. Around him were stacks of cookies, cupcakes, candies, and full-sized cakes sitting in boxes around the kitchen. He was making them in advance of the food stand event the local park put on every month. It was a great way to bring in extra income, which was hard to come by despite the shifts Patton was picking up at the animal shelter. Their cat, which Patton has insisted on naming Meowy Poppins, twisted around his ankles, purring softly when he bent down to scratch her head. The whole day had seemed very domestic, something that he had never experienced before. It felt good. Right.

By the time Logan came home, Patton was boxing up all of the baked goods and storing them in the fridge so they would stay good. If everything sold, he would have a good profit on his hands. "Hey, Lo-Lo," he called when he heard the front door. He dusted his hands off on his apron before taking it off and running to meet his boyfriend. He stopped when he saw his boyfriend. He looked stressed, exhausted, and completely defeated. Logan leaned against the door frame, his head resting against the cool painted wood. He gave a deep sigh, his eyes closed as Patton came up to him. "Logie?"

"No," Logan said. "Absolutely not. I am mad. Don't you dare."

A grin spread across Patton's face, his arms coming up for a hug. Logan groaned, a smile beginning to spread across his own face. "Holy shit," he laughed, moving forward to rest his head against Patton's shoulder.

"Language," Patton giggled, rubbing circles into Logan's back. "What happened today?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Logan sighed. "I just want to be with you right now."

"Well lucky for you, I just became free." Patton dragged him to the couch and pulled him down onto the cushions where they quickly moved into a laying position with Logan laying across Patton's stomach, his head resting on his chest.

"You made cookies," Logan mumbled, sniffing the air.

"And cake. And candy."

"I don't know how you can say you're bad at science when you literally use chemistry in the kitchen."

"I'm bad at most science," Patton giggled. "You're good at most science, but you can't keep a plant alive to save your life."

"I gave that plant everything it needed," Logan argued, his voice rising as Patton laughed harder. "It just stubbornly refused to live."

"I know you did, Lo-Lo." Patton kisses the top of his head. "You did everything just right."

Logan let out a breath, relaxing into the comforting words and the man he loved. Patton smiled, pulling him closer. "Have you eaten today?"

"No," Logan sighed. "I assume we're having cookies for dinner?"

"Does it make it better if we have fruit too?"

"No, but at this point, I don't care."

"Yay," Patton said, running his fingers through Logan's hair.

Logan laughed quietly. "I love you, you know? I love you so much."

"I love you too, Lo-Lo."

***does anyone know Joan's last name? I can't find it anywhere. Not important or anything, but I'm curious.**


End file.
